Chandigarh, January 21
As many as nine heritage items from the UT, which were taken abroad in an illegal manner, have been auctioned for Rs 1.14 crore in the US.
Ten heritage furniture items from the city were put up for auction yesterday and nine of these were sold.
The artefacts, which were designed by Pierre Jeanneret, included a pair of lounge chairs, a set of three file racks, a set of six dining chairs, a set of a desk and a chair, a set of four stools, a bench, a set of four low stools, a set of a desk and a cane chair, and a coffee table.
A set of eight armchairs failed to find buyers during the auction.
In a petition to the Secretary General, Rajya Sabha, Ajay Jagga, a member of the Heritage Items Protection Cell of the Chandigarh Administration, stated that it was an additional submission in the respect of his plea for protection of national heritage (Chandigarh heritage articles) from being auctioned abroad. Nine heritage items were sold yesterday.
“In view of the above, the petition may please be taken to its logical end i.e. creation of rules and regulations for the protection of heritage of Chandigarh, so that items could not be taken out of the country and such auctions could be stopped through diplomatic channels and brought back, as these were taken away in an illegal manner,” he added.
The artefacts
The artefacts, which were designed by Pierre Jeanneret, included a pair of lounge chairs, a set of three file racks, a set of six dining chairs, a set of a desk and a chair, a set of four stools, a bench, a set of four low stools, a set of a desk and a cane chair, and a coffee table.
